A working meeting held in Sofia presented a report of the European Commission (EC) on Bulgaria's progress in research and innovation. The analysis "Unlocking Bulgaria's Research and Innovation Potential" was conducted under the European Commission's Policy Support Facility (PSF) in the field of research and assessment of the national scientific ecosystem.
The report was completed by independent experts from Denmark, Slovenia, Sweden, the UK, Estonia and the Czech Republic, following two visits to Bulgaria in October and November 2024. During the visits, the evaluators met with various stakeholders, including representatives of the scientific community and institutions related to the national research and innovation system.
According to the independent assessment of the report's authors, Bulgaria has been making progress in Research and Innovation (R&I) policy in recent years, including by increasing the remuneration in the sector, establishing a network of research universities and modernizing the scientific infrastructure. Nonetheless, the document points out that our country also needs key reforms, including the development of a National Strategy for Research and Innovation related to the labour market.
The report highlights the positive steps taken by the country in recent years, which have been highly appreciated by the European Commission. However, it also reports underinvestment in R&D – below 1% of GDP. The Commission makes recommendations for achieving higher efficiency and sustainability of the sector. These include building a coherent national strategy for research and innovation, tailored to the country's priorities and the needs of the labour market.
The importance of increasing and stabilising institutional funding for R&D is underscored, as is the need to strengthen collaboration between universities, research organisations and business through joint projects. An important emphasis is also placed on creating clear and sustainable career paths for scientists, including with a focus on support for young researchers. Furthermore, restructuring of less efficient institutions and strategic cooperation of higher education institutions and research organisations is recommended.
It became clear from the meeting that the Ministry of Education and Science would continue the cooperation with the Horizon Europe Policy Support Facility (PSF) in the field of research and innovation development in Bulgaria and in order to improve the quality of reforms, investments, policies and systems in this field.
PSF Country conducts in-depth assessments of a country's Research & Innovation system or of specific aspects. These assessments, carried out by a panel of experts and peers, lead to actionable policy recommendations targeted at helping national authorities implement the necessary reforms to strengthen their Research and Innovation systems. It can take the form of a general assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of a country's Research and Innovation (R&I) ecosystem or it can also focus on a number of specific elements – such as reform of universities or knowledge-transfer system – as agreed with the country under review.
The complete report is available here
